Michele O'Brien

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Michele O'Brien

| image =

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=y|1980|6|28}}

| birth_place = Plainview, New York, United States

| height = {{height|ft=5|in=4}}

| position = Striker

| currentclub =

| clubnumber =

| youthyears1=

| youthclubs1= Northport/Cow Harbor Soccer Club

| college1 = FIU Golden Panthers | clubs1 = Long Island Lady Riders | clubs3 = Arsenal | clubs4 = QBIK | clubs5 = Watford | clubs6 = Jersey Sky Blue{{cite web|url=http://www.uslsoccer.com/teams/2008/roster/6188682.html|title=Hudson Valley Quickstrike Lady Blues|accessdate=2010-09-23|publisher=USLsoccer.com|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110610120522/http://www.uslsoccer.com/teams/2008/roster/6188682.html|archivedate=10 June 2011}} | clubs7 =Chicago Red Eleven

| nationalyears1= 2003–2012

| nationalteam1= Republic of Ireland

| nationalcaps1= 65| nationalgoals1 = 13

| manageryears1 = 2004–2005

| managerclubs1 = NYU Violets (assistant)

| manageryears2 = 2005–2007

| managerclubs2 = Columbia Lions (assistant)

| manageryears3 = 2009–2014

| managerclubs3 = DePaul Blue Demons (assistant)

| manageryears4 = 2014–2021

| managerclubs4 = DePaul Blue Demons (associate head coach)

| manageryears5 = 2021–

| managerclubs5 = DePaul Blue Demons

}}

Michele O'Brien (born 28 June 1980) is a soccer coach and former striker, who played for the W-League club Chicago Red Eleven. Since making her debut for the Republic of Ireland women's national football team in 2003, she gained over 50 caps.

College career

O'Brien played varsity soccer during four seasons at Florida International University. She remains the program's all–time record goalscorer.{{cite web|url=http://www.chicagolandsoccernews.com/college/depaul2.php?article_id=5641|title=NEW COACH|date=2009-02-21|publisher=Chicagoland Soccer News|accessdate=2010-09-23|archive-date=8 July 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708144310/http://www.chicagolandsoccernews.com/college/depaul2.php?article_id=5641|url-status=dead}}

Club career

In 2000 O'Brien started playing for the Long Island Lady Riders.{{cite web|url=http://www.uslsoccer.com/teams/28239/22340-1076108/198697.html|title=#5 – Michele O'Brien|publisher=USLsoccer.com|accessdate=2010-09-23|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110610121716/http://www.uslsoccer.com/teams/28239/22340-1076108/198697.html|archivedate=10 June 2011}} She remained with them until 2007, with a spell at Arsenal in 2003.{{cite web|url=http://www.uslsoccer.com/teams/13598774/2742453-13598842/198697.html|title=#10 – Michele O'Brien|publisher=USLsoccer.com|accessdate=2010-09-23|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110610121744/http://www.uslsoccer.com/teams/13598774/2742453-13598842/198697.html|archivedate=10 June 2011}} During her time at the English club, O'Brien played in the Women's Premier League{{cite web|url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablese/eng-wom03.html|title=England (Women) 2002/03 |date=2003-08-20|author=David Shannon|website=RSSSF|accessdate=2010-09-23}} and the semi–final of the UEFA Women's Cup.{{cite web|url=http://www.uefa.com/womensworldcup/teams/player=69726/index.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713041238/http://www.uefa.com/womensworldcup/teams/player=69726/index.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=13 July 2011|title=Michelle O'Brien |publisher=UEFA|accessdate=2010-09-23}}

In 2007 O'Brien joined the Damallsvenskan club QBIK. She then spent time back in England with Watford Ladies, before joining Jersey Sky Blue for the 2008 W-League season. The following season O'Brien moved to Chicago Red Eleven and scored four goals in 11 games in 2009.{{cite web|url=http://www.uslsoccer.com/teams/2009/2742453.html#STATS|title=2009 Statistics|accessdate=2010-09-23|publisher=USLsoccer.com|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100106023209/http://www.uslsoccer.com/teams/2009/2742453.html#STATS|archivedate=6 January 2010}} In 2010, she scored one goal in three games for the Red Eleven.{{cite web|url=http://www.uslsoccer.com/teams/2010/roster/2742453.html|title=Chicago Red Eleven|accessdate=2010-09-23|publisher=USLsoccer.com|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110610121756/http://www.uslsoccer.com/teams/2010/roster/2742453.html|archivedate=10 June 2011}}

International career

O'Brien debuted for the Republic of Ireland in 2003 and went on to accumulate more than 50 caps. In 2005 O'Brien was named the FAI Player of the Year.{{cite web|url=http://www.fai.ie/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=63&Itemid=42|title=Senior Women Player Profiles|date=2009-01-16 |publisher=Football Association of Ireland|accessdate=2010-09-22}}

Coaching career

O'Brien coached soccer at New York University (2004–2005) and Columbia University (2005–2007). She was named assistant soccer coach at DePaul University in February 2009. She was promoted to head coach at DePaul in June 2021.{{cite news |title=Michele O'Brien Named DePaul Women's Soccer Head Coach |url=https://www.bigeast.com/news/2021/6/28/michele-o-brien-named-depaul-womens-soccer-head-coach.aspx |access-date=17 December 2022 |publisher=Big East Conference |date=28 June 2021}}

Personal life

Born with a congenital heart defect, in 1995 O'Brien suffered a heart attack after a High School P.E. lesson and required open heart surgery. She refused to quit soccer, reportedly telling her concerned parent: "Mom, I might as well die doing something I like".{{cite web |last=Rubin |first=Roger |date=1997-10-19 |title=Frightening Odds Can't Stop . . . Heart of Courage |url=https://www.nydailynews.com/1997/10/19/frightening-odds-cant-stop-heart-of-courage/ |accessdate=2025-04-15 |work=New York Daily News}}

References

External links

[https://web.archive.org/web/20110713041238/http://www.uefa.com/womensworldcup/teams/player=69726/index.html Michele O'Brien] at UEFA
[http://www.fai.ie/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=63&Itemid=42 Michele O'Brien] at FAI
[https://web.archive.org/web/20110708143827/http://www.chicagoredeleven.com/teams/13598774/2742453-13598842/198697.html Michele O'Brien] at Chicago Red Eleven

Category:Republic of Ireland women's association footballers

Category:Republic of Ireland women's international footballers

Category:FA Women's National League players

Category:1980 births

Category:Living people

Category:Arsenal W.F.C. players

Category:People from Plainview, New York

Category:Soccer players from Nassau County, New York

Category:Expatriate women's footballers in England

Category:Expatriate women's footballers in Sweden

Category:QBIK players

Category:Damallsvenskan players